City parallels between the East and West Valley

[Prickly Pear]

Originally Posted by SageCats

I'd say Tempe is unique... None like Tempe in the West Valley.
What would the Scottsdale of the West Valley be? Vistancia (in terms of nice looking homes?) or not really?

I'd say the closest--emphasis on closest because this is barely even close to Scottsdale--is the North Glendale/Peoria region near the mountains... As far as I'm concerned, those are the only homes in West Valley that reach $1 Million. There are a couple neighborhoods up there with manmade lakes with huge homes that reach I believe the 800-900Ks, and nearby homes in the mountains that get above a million. Also some older (80s or 90s) big acre custom homes just north of Arrowhead Mall with higher real estate prices. But it's a small pocket of wealth, go south of Bell, west of the 101 (after the curve when it heads south), east of 59th Ave. and north of I think Happy Valley and it's back to bland cookie-cutter suburbia like most of the West Valley.

But back to the thread, I don't think there is a true parallel between East and West Valley. For an example, West Phoenix is where all the worst neighborhoods are. The worst neighborhoods in Phoenix proper are Maryvale and Alhambra (GCU is in Alhambra so you know), and both make a backwards L shape surrounding Glendale's Downtown. You have to drive through either of these to get to Glendale. Glendale's crime is also skewed towards its Downtown area along with Peoria's Downtown, being extremely close by, is also in this region. So while Glendale's downtown can be very nice, it can also be down-right dangerous, and it's also full of antique shops mostly and that's about it. I visit Mesa's DT often and it is nothing like Glendale's, it's safer and more like a "true" DT area in my opinion.

To sum it up, EV = richer, safer and WV = poorer, more dangerous OVERALL, since unfortunately West Phoenix which takes up roughly Northern Ave. south all the way until maybe Van Buren and from the 101 to slightly east of the I-17 (19th Ave.) is the ghettos of the whole valley and is a huge chunk of West Valley. And it's influence plays north into Glendale and Peoria up until about Thunderbird and along the I-17 corridor, up to the 101/I-17 loop. I live in this area and I know... Until either East Valley gets some of the ghetto or West Valley gets a Scottsdale equivalent area there will be no parallel.

[Valley Native]

Originally Posted by :-D

To sum it up, EV = richer, safer and WV = poorer, more dangerous OVERALL, since unfortunately West Phoenix which takes up roughly Northern Ave. south all the way until maybe Van Buren and from the 101 to slightly east of the I-17 (19th Ave.) is the ghettos of the whole valley and is a huge chunk of West Valley. And it's influence plays north into Glendale and Peoria up until about Thunderbird and along the I-17 corridor, up to the 101/I-17 loop. I live in this area and I know... Until either East Valley gets some of the ghetto or West Valley gets a Scottsdale equivalent area there will be no parallel.

Generally, I tend to agree. Keep in mind, however, that parts of the west Valley (specifically NW) have some very nice areas. Sun City is an older retirement community which was built over 50 years ago, and still has the same pristine look & feel as it did back in the 1960s & 1970s. Same goes for Sun City West. Both are virtually crime free. Why is this? For one thing, they are age restricted. You'll hardly find any kids/teenagers roaming the streets of the Sun Cities. On the other hand, "family friendly" neighborhoods that have kids running amok are some of the worst looking areas. Income level can play a part in this as well ... but the funny thing is that the Sun Cities are not exactly populated with wealthy people

[Prickly Pear]

Originally Posted by Valley Native

Generally, I tend to agree. Keep in mind, however, that parts of the west Valley (specifically NW) have some very nice areas. Sun City is an older retirement community which was built over 50 years ago, and still has the same pristine look & feel as it did back in the 1960s & 1970s. Same goes for Sun City West. Both are virtually crime free. Why is this? For one thing, they are age restricted. You'll hardly find any kids/teenagers roaming the streets of the Sun Cities. On the other hand, "family friendly" neighborhoods that have kids running amok are some of the worst looking areas. Income level can play a part in this as well ... but the funny thing is that the Sun Cities are not exactly populated with wealthy people

Yes the West Valley does have some nice areas. The NW Valley is where they are generally, and I used to live up there. The properties near the mountains, close to Lake Pleasant, are all large acreage (horse property) and generally larger. Then you have the area I referred to in my last post. But I would say it's the small pocket of the NW Valley. High Schools like Mountain Ridge and Sandra Day O'Connor are home to these in their boundaries... Further west and you get to the small cramped cookie cutter suburbia seen just before hitting the Sun Cities. That is what it's like in Surprise where I sent my first phase of childhood, I spent the second phase in the area I referred to in my last post, and the third part of my life where I live in Phoenix is near Glendale's Downtown.

When I lived in the area of Glendale and Peoria I referred to in my last post I had been robbed twice but now that I live near Maryvale and Alhambra not a single crime has happened to me or my family. It's strange how crime works. And at my old house I lived next to a police station (like a minute walk)... Now I am a couple miles or so from one.

The pockets of wealth in West Valley is surrounded by lower income areas. Go south of Arrowhead Mall on 83rd Avenue and there are trailer homes... There is also another high-income pocket of homes around 75th Avenue and Thunderbird. But outside of this small neighborhood it's back to lower income again... I believe that if you live in one of these small pockets, surrounded by poorer neighborhoods just on the other side of the fence, you'll be more likely targeted for crimes, at least for robberies. It's an easy getaway I guess in those scenarios for the criminals. I strongly believe that's why I got robbed twice at my old house, but not a single crime in the house I live in now. When my parents picked this third house they checked the crime statistics and found that even though it was a lower-income area crime was significantly less... And I believe this is why.

Scottsdale overall is higher-income, at least compared to West Valley. When I visit my family in Scottsdale I can see the difference in the neighborhoods and the cars they drive (I only see Corvettes and Porsches in Scottsdale) but this can go on for miles depending on where you are in Scottsdale. Criminals steal because they are poor themselves... So they don't live in these areas. Makes it slightly harder to rob in Scottsdale.